Random Thoughts from India - April 24 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

This part of the country is flat F-L-A-T--flat! And I am from Saskatchewan, so I know flat. I mean this is watch-your-goat-run-away-for-6-days-standing-on-a-chapati flat! I can't imagine where the water goes when it rains. It must go into the soil. If you were to put the proper slope on an average sized parking lot here, the center would be the tallest hill for miles. I guess it makes it easy to make rice patties and there is no shortage of those.

Hair. These people know how to grow hair: long, thick, shiny, black hair--and not just the women! The men all have perfectly quaffed, Elvis-sized, thick, black hair. It is like there is some naturally occurring Minoxidil in the water. And it is not just that they all have a lot of it. Their hair is always clean and shiny and never seems to move in the wind. Maybe it is so thick that there is nowhere for it to move. I, on the other hand, had an emergency haircut 10 minutes before leaving for the airport, and it is the best thing that I could have done. (Thank you, thank you, thank you to my daughter for that!) Even with all my hair only 3/8 of an inch long, I somehow still manage to look like I have just been drug through a hedge backwards.
Sari's in the surf. It seems that bathing suits have not made it to southern India. We stopped at the beach where three seas meet. The sand part of the beach was very small and packed with people. Most were wading in the water, some swimming, but I was the only guy in a bathing suit. The women were in their saris, and the men were in pants or shorts. I am glad I didn’t bring my Speedo! The crowd seemed to part as I walked through, and there was no problem finding space to swim. They were all very polite, but you might have thought Moby Dick had just washed ashore with the stares I got. I would have been less conspicuous in a sari, I think.

Chipmunks! Yes, there are chipmunks in India! I guess there is no good reason that there shouldn’t be, but I was quite startled to see a couple of chipmunks running along the wall in front of my window this morning. I wonder what Alvin would sound like with an Indian accent?

St. Lukes - April 23 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

St. Luke’s is so much more than a leprosarium. They have adopted a much more holistic approach to the problem of leprosy. Curing leprosy is a simple matter of the right antibiotics; changing the root cause and the social attitudes around leprosy is a whole other issue. I am not sure how many people in North America realize that leprosy is still a problem in the world. India is by far the world hot spot for new leprosy cases, accounting for about 75% of new cases globally. Fortunately the number of new cases is dropping, but even if there were no more new cases starting today, we still have a 50 year problem.



Early detection is since the bacteria that causes leprosy can be completely wiped out with cheap antibiotics, but the problem is the social stigma. People, especially women, tend not to act quickly because lepers are still shunned from their community. Once the bacteria advances to the stage of damaging nerves, the condition can be halted, but the nerve damage cannot be reversed.


Many of the people I met at St. Luke’s have been there for many years. Damaged limbs prevent them from regular employment, and the community is not welcoming toward them should they try to return to their home village. St. Luke’s retains them and gives them meaning and purpose in their lives. Depending on the degree of damage they have some can work in the fields or do handicrafts. One man is making candles. Others help to care for their fellow patients less fortunate than themselves.


In addition to helping patients suffering from leprosy, St. Luke’s works with the children of patients providing schooling and a home to live in. There are agricultural training programs for these children that include gardening, goat farming, and pig farming. Education of the community is key to integrating people back into society, and although this is a slow process, St. Luke’s is working hard to bring this about. Although I am sure that leprosy will be eradicated from the earth at some point, I also predict it will be long after the roof we are building crumbles. My thanks to the staff of St. Luke’s for their dedication to helping our brothers and sisters in a time of need. When you do this for the least of these...

South India Spa & Weight Loss Program - April 23 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

If you are looking for a great way to tone up and lose a few extra pounds, try a trip to South India in April. The program starts as you leave the plane. You can feel the fat melt away in the +40 degree heat. As a matter of fact, it's not just the fat--you melt! You receive plenty of encouragement from all around as you struggle to retrieve your bags from the one small luggage belt carrying everyone's bags from both flights that have just arrived. This becomes your first cardiac workout. The drive to your final destination is a great core workout. It is far too hot to sit back in your seat, so you try to remain upright as your driver navigates the very busy, ever-changing roads. Three hours later you will be 3 pounds lighter, more fit, and have no appetite because of the heat. Only 4 more days to go! This is just what I needed to break that fitness plateau I have been on for the last 6 weeks!

In all seriousness, I was very warmly received (pun intended) by the staff at St. Luke’s Leprosy Colony! I am impressed with the level of organization, professionalism, and care the patients are receiving. There are more than 150 people under care here, and many have been here for more than 20 years. The buildings are aging; many were built in stages as funds were available. Three of the buildings have metal roofs that were supposed to be temporary many years ago! Granted, this is the hottest time of the year, but being under a tin roof at 42 degree C is unbelievable! I can feel the heat radiating down from the roof like an infrared heater. I wish I brought an IR heat tester with me. Or maybe I don’t want to know the surface temperature! We are proposing to replace one roof, and there is a German NGO that will be doing a second roof, but there is still one to go!

This group is well organized and accustomed to doing projects with NGOs and individuals, so I am confident that this project will go smoothly. Reporting is possible because they have internet on campus--not just internet, I was informed, but fast internet! Sure enough, there is one computer connected to the internet at a blistering 10Mb! It reminds me of my office in Ag Mech when I started.

I have not done much to earn my keep yet, but this morning I looked at the playground equipment outside my window to see one broken swing. I knew I brought my Leatherman for something. I found some wire in the ditch (don’t ask) and wired up the swing. I took it for a spin to test the repair. If it holds me, it will hold an entire class of these young kids. I hope that will not be the sum total of my contribution from this trip. Oh yes, I have also donated quite a bit of blood to the local night creatures.

It All Computes - April 18 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

It was great to see Grace and the CCIT again today! The place was as clean as a whistle, as always, and Grace was welcoming, as always. It was good to hear the students working hard. They ARE dedication! Some of the students are nearing completion of their course ahead of schedule--a feat even more remarkable considering all the power failures the area has had. You learn to save and save often!

Grace will be moving her computer training skills to a new home under a new name to better serve the needs of the people of the Champai area. I am very excited for her! This will become a true family business as more of her family members graduate. Some will come back to work with her and help her build the business. Grace is always helping someone in her extended family; it will be good for her to get some help back. This is a great example of the sense of comunity that is so common here. I keep learning from Grace and others like her as I travel around the world. I wish Grace the best of luck in her new adventure, and if there are any unused laptops out there, I know where they could find a home...

You can't believe the difference an education makes in a place like this. Too often we take our education for granted in Canada. An education does not guarantee you an easy life here, but having no education guarantees you a hard life! The students thank all of you in Canada who sponsored their tuition. I assure you that you have made a huge difference!

Trigger

It was a busy day yesterday: lots to take in, lots to deal with. I went to sleep at about 10:30 mostly due to exhaustion--a good exhaustion--but that was not to last. By 3:30 a.m., my mind was wide awake, processing, not interested in sleep. This is not new for me. It happens often. I can only take in so much before I have to stop and think about it. I am great in a crisis. I forge ahead, directing others, solving problems, always walking out of the smoke. Then, some time later, I deal with what I have been through. Life has been busy lately, with Haiti thrown in just in case I dared to think that I might get my head above water, and I know I have a backlog of “stuff” to process. It is great to have 4 solid hours of think-time this morning, but why now? What triggered the need to process this morning? Children singing. The universal language of music.


Yesterday we went to an orphanage where 4 of the students we sponsored come from. Dr. Ray wanted to check out some of the local orphanages anyway, so we killed two birds with one stone. They have 99 orphans here from age 2 to age 17, both boys and girls. They had very little warning that we were coming but warmly received us and gave us a tour. I am not the kind that loves to hold the kids and play ball with them. My strength is more in evaluating buildings, drainage, security and so on. That is pretty much what I did--asked about the agriculture they teach, looked at the mulberry seed harvesting they do, stuff like that--while Dr. Ray talked to the house mother and the kids.

All the kids assembled in the chapel to hear a message from us, and I took the opportunity to meet with the boys taking classes from Grace at CCIT and talk with them a bit. We took a picture (note: they are smiling this time!) and then we went inside. There were opening remarks; Dr. Ray gave a motivational speech about education, caring, and community; and then the children sang for us. Not just Mary had a little lamb, no! They sang hymns in three part harmony. They did not just sing out of duty; they sang with joy and heart. They smiled. They beamed. Music is a part of this community, and it is alanguage that we all understand. I stopped thinking about the construction techniques of the chapel, of the politics of helping, of the flight we might not catch because of the rain. I stopped thinking about it all and was simply inspired.

It was the voices of the children that triggered my minded this morning, their voices focussing me on what needs to be done and reminding me why I am here, why this matters. Their voices are helping me process all that I have experienced, put it into perspective and carry on. Thank you, and keep singing!

Clinic to the Stars - April 17 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

Sorry...That should have been "Clinic Under the Stars." The power is a bit flaky here! I have just returned from the new Zowkathar clinic building, and it is a thing of beauty if I do say so myself. No Kappa says it is the nicest building in town, and I have to agree with him. Although the official opening will be in January, The community will start to "test drive" it next week, I suspect. The current clinic is a small, 2-room, wooden building; the new clinic is 9 rooms and made of concrete, brick and tin--a big improvement!

Many people have worked hard to make this happen, and many dollars have been raised abroad. Medical Mercy Canada has worked with their sister organizations in India and A Better World has worked in Canada. Ultimately, it is the local people who will run the clinic with guidance and financial support from MMC. There is no shortage of need in the area, that is for sure! This has been a great example of a collaboration that has worked.

There are always technical issues with a new building--that is why I am here--but sometimes the issues are bigger than expected. When we started this project, the town was to supply water, but, since then, the town demand for water has outstripped the supply. There has been a draught, and the amount of developement in the area makes this place look like a boom town. Be that as it may, we still need water. We have looked at a number of options including pumping from the river, storing rain water, and having water trucked in. The cheap farmer in me is thrilled that we now have a composite solution that will meet the immediate needs of the clinic, at least.

I met the new doctor at the old clinic I suspect he is anxous to move into the new digs! He will be living in the clinic until a house can be built. He should feel lucky. If I had this building in Haiti, I would have 20 families living in it! Now matter how bad off you are, there is always someone else worse off! The same holds true in the other direction: no matter how well off you are, there is always someone with more. Perhaps we should learn to be content with what we have? But, I digress. The people of Zowkathar will be very happy with their new clinic, and if you had something to do with making this happen, pat yourself on the back. Good job!

On a completely unrelated note, every trip seems to have a first of some sort. This trip is no exception: I saw my first pineapple growing! It would be a fun exercise to list everything you have ever eaten then see how many of those items you have touched while they were alive.

Unplugged, But Not By Choice - April 17 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

I am unplugged again, but it is different this time. I didn’t plan this, for starters! I can usually count on getting internet at certain spots along my route, but this time it has not happened. The hotel was full; we did not stop at CCIT in Champai; and there is not even cell phone out here in Zohkathar! I am still writing when I have a minute (usually early in the morning when I can’t sleep), but I feel more cut off this trip than ever before. I am safe, healthy, happy, but cut off. I did a week unplugged before without trouble, so what is the difference now?


Expectation, is all. This morning I was up with the first light of dawn. I am staying in a very nice guest house overlooking the Burma boarder. Again, it was very quiet. Again, it was the voices in my head that pulled me from my sleep. But today I looked out at those on the receiving end of the racial rant. As I worried about being disconnected from my family and friends, I looked down at a Burmese family on the India side of the river--truly unplugged, disconnected. Unplugged not just from technology but from their homeland, their family, and their culture. Children who will not see their parents birthplace, children who will be judged by their name first and their actions second, children who will have to create a new culture with elements from their past and present.


I have yet to make the trip from Aizawl to Zowkathar without our driver stopping somewhere to drop off a letter or a package along the way. It just seems to be a community service the driver provides. Although I am unplugged, this blog is getting to you because of a network of friends: a driver willing to drop off a memory stick with Grace at CCIT; Grace willing to download and email this it my editor, Crystal; and Crystal willing to work her magic and mount this for the rest of my family and friends to see. As long as I have friends, I will never be completely unplugged.

Aizawl Again - April 16 (by Gordon Gilchrist)

The silence is deafening! It is sometime in the early morning, and the power in out. No fan, no lights. Even the birds and bugs are unplugged. My internal clock is shot, and I never really had the chance to reset my mind after Haiti so here I lay with a thousand voices screaming in my head and no sound to drown them out. This is not the time or place to deal with Haiti, so I will occupy my mind with more immediate and familiar issues.


Getting to Aizawl, again, is never an easy task. The worst part is that you can only fly there from Kolkata, and that means spending a night in Kolkata. This time around, however, the experience was comparatively good! It was 43 degrees when we arrived, but there was a room at the airport and the air conditioner worked. I even got water to come from the shower head! We managed to board the aircraft to Aizawl with a set of badly distorted permit papers. Photocopiers these days!

Rama met us with a truck, and off we went to find all the hotels full. This sounds familiar, eh? The very helpful young lady at David’s Kitchen hotel took a while to recognize me without the beard, but, when she did, she gave me that familiar big smile and said I looked 10 years younger, very good. I figure any time you are told you look very good after 40 hours of flying, it is a banner day. We spent the night in a very nice, private residence. I look at Aizawl differently after having been to Haiti. I love Aizawl--one of the last places that really took my breath away--but in the light of my earthquake experience, I feel less comfortable here now.
The voices screaming in my head are not the voices of earthquake survivors but the voices of average people all over the world screaming at each other. I have had too many conversations lately about how this group of people are bad or how that group of people needs to go away. I am uncomfortable with prejudice, although we all possess it to some degree. People should be judged on their actions, not the color of their skin, the spelling of their last name, or the church they attend or don’t attend. We are all different, but we are all together on one very small rock that is getting much smaller! Within any group, there are people who want to make a positive difference. Those are the people I want to work with; those are the people I want to support.

It's an Icelandic/Germanic/Indian Birthday

This is the oddest birthday I have had, that is for sure. It started flying over Iceland and carried right on through to Kolkata, India. For many years, Donna would make me an angelfood cake (yes, I get the irony) with whipped cream and frozen blueberries for my birthday. Often, my Aunt Winnie would follow this with another angelfood cake with high-quality vanilla icecream and a great cup of coffee. This year everything seems to have changed. I got a McDonald's egg McMuffin and chased it with a root beer; you make do with what you have!

This should be the time of my life when I am wrapping things up, shutting things down, looking to retirement, and I do think like that sometimes but not often. I have learned too much the last few years--mostly that I know nothing and that there is so much I want to learn. I don't mean book learn or letters-behind-my-name learn; I mean the type of learning that comes from experiencing. And I want to share that learning and lead the experience for others. I want to open my mind and open others near me.

Last year at this time, I was in the middle of a cancer scare. Shortly after my birthday, while I was on top of a mountain in Bolivia viewing ancient Incan ruins, I learned the good news that I did not have cancer. I had the mental flow chart ready for the other answer--plan A,B,C,D and E--but it turned out I got to pick the first box that said,"If no, exit flowchart."

I have no idea what this next year holds for me other than being sure it will not go the way I plan. I do know that I will continue to attempt to do what is just; I will work at loving constantly; and, I promise, I will try harder to live humbly.

No Rest for the Wicked (by Gordon Gilchrist)

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

I can't believe I have been back from Haiti for 6 days already, and tomorrow I leave for India! Some mornings I am not sure if I can use the tap water to brush my teeth; I have to stop and think of what country I am in first. Although life is a blur for me these days, there are some recurring themes that pop up regardless of where I lay my head:

Be thankful for what you have! The people of Thor's camp reinforced for me the idea that we are better off to be thankful for what we have than to complain about the things we don't have--a lesson I need to remember, especially coming from a country with so much. Don't stop trying to improve your lot in life, but make sure that which you seek will truly bring improvement. Spend more time reflecting on what you have.

Be thankful for who you have! It is the people in your life and the community you create that will be there for you when you need help. There is a great Haitian proverb that, translated loosely, says, "cooked food has no master." The evidence of community in Haiti is overwhelming, and I am jealous of them. Not everyone in the camp are best friends, but when one family gets food, everyone eats. The knowledge that they are stronger together than they are apart is something that they live by but that we too often forget. And now I am off to India--again to a community that truly believes that together they are stronger than they are apart.

Be thankful for the time you have! Life is short; it can be very short. Working in disaster zones makes you value life and the short time we have on this earth. I have often said I would rather live 50 years like a lion than 100 years like a chicken. Live each day to the fullest; don't put off opportunity, and don't put off connections. To seriously paraphrase: do what is just, love constantly, walk humbly.

In true Scottish style, I want my tombstone to read, "he got his money's worth!" But let's not put that tombstone up any time soon. I'm not done yet!

It Takes Time to Process (by Karen Fyles)

Prior to this trip to Haiti, I viewed many pictures and even first-hand video of the quake devastation. I talked with people who had visited Haiti soon after the tragedy and with a Haitian friend who was here at the time. None of that really prepared me for the magnitude of the situation. Having now spent three days here, I can only say I am still processing. We have spent hours driving through towns and countryside, and the damage goes on and on. Evidence of this catastrophic quake is everywhere. Tent camps dot the landscape. Some are well organized, sporting new tarps and tents, even lights in the evening. Others are put together from what can be found: sticks, sheets and blankets create a makeshift shelter. As the rainy season approaches, I can only imagine the misery of living in a blanket shelter.

In Camp Thor, the wood and sheet metal shelters are going up. Optimism is evident. Young men fill and carry buckets of rock and earth to create the raised floors. The carpenter and workers are busy building. After only a few days, people are moving in. These shelters, the size of a garden shed, are luxurious when compared with those in which people of the camp are currently living.

Food and water are a constant need. Current aid is short term and often intermittent. While aid is allowing people to survive in the short term, one can only wonder at the long term solutions. Haiti’s problems are complex.

Resiliency is evident here. Children keep busy building kites. Schools are not in session. Town centers are lined with stalls of fruit, veggies, grilled chicken, live chickens, ducks and turkeys, shoes, auto parts, newly cut sticks for shelter supports, whatever can be found to sell. Rubble piles line the streets as buildings are dismantled. Teams of workers making $5 a day cart rubble in wheelbarrows. Some rebuilding has begun. Life continues.

Haiti's problems are monumental. I feel conflicted about the role of the global community in providing aid. Haitians undeniably need help and will continue to need support for years to come. What that support looks like depends on your perspective. I feel priviledged to have had the opportunity to see first-hand Haiti's state of affairs. Haitian's are passionate, hospitable people who exhibit a strong entrepreneurial spirit. I am still processing how we can best help.

Hope Floats (by Gordon Gilchrist)

...or, more to the point, hope stays dry. I am done taking damaged building pictures. I can’t take another. I have seen enough darkness. I know it is there; I don’t need any more reminding. I need all my attention to be focussed on looking to the light. Hope is contagious. I caught it from the people in Camp Thor.

Things have changed in Port au Prince in the last month--some good, some not so good. I want to build on the good. When we arrived at Camp Thor a month ago, the mood was one of desperation, despair, and just a hint of hope. Not everyone believed that we would do anything other than look and leave--a pattern they had witnessed many times before. The mood that dominated was the never-ending tension in the camp. Sometimes it would flare up and then ebb a bit, but it was always there.

Today the predominant mood in Camp Thor is hope. People are smiling; kids are playing, making kites and laughing. Don’t get me wrong: there are huge problems still, but the mood has switched from tension to hope. There has not been a food delivery since ABW delivered food last month; the water money has dried up, so to speak; and employment is still scarce. But even in the face of all this, hope rises above all.

Why the change? Well, water makes a huge difference. Being able to wash your clothes, your hair, drink without fearing disease--these are huge factors--but the shelter project has added even more hope. Eleven men have steady work and will continue to have a job after this project ends. Families have a chance to be dry during the rain as soon as the roof is done. They move into the shelters during the night and move out during the day to complete the work. I noticed that my pictures taken in the camp this time have many smiling faces.

With such massive problems, why smile? Too many of us concentrate on what we don’t have instead of concentrating on what we do have. I admire the hope that floats through the camp. Some rubbed off on me, and I too have more hope. We all need to spend more time thinking about what we have and be thankful.

It's a Man's Prerogative to Change His Mind! (by Gordon Gilchrist)

(Port-au-Prince, Haiti - April 1, 2010)
First off, the shelters are going up! After some interesting politics and some supply issues, the work started about a week ago. Eleven men from the camp are working with Paco's foreman to build in a very manual way: 1x2 lumber is not available, so 1x4 lumber is ripped in half with two hand saws, one from each end. I think it becomes a bit of a race with men switching off the saws as they tire.

My question to Paco was if we could speed things up by getting two more saws? He replied that if I was serious about getting things done quicker, I would figure out how to get a generator on site so he could use his power saw. Now, those who know me know that I am opposed to generators in general. I launched into my usual reply about how the generator would put 4 men out of work and so on. He assured me that, when this project is done, he has many more lined up and that he would hire all the men to work on those projects. "Besides," he added.....

"THE RAINS ARE COMING!!!!"

Point taken, Paco. I am off shopping for a generator today!

Mastering Mixed Memories

"...'honour your father and mother' and 'love your neighbour as yourself." Matt 19:19

I have been looking, with increasing intensity, for a stand-mounted mixer ever since I took the gearbox out of one making gingerbread at Christmas. I may have been a bit obsessed with my quest for a mixer. I am far too cheap to spend $300 on a new mixer, so I have been cruising the second hand stores to see what is on offer. Most of what I have found has not been quite right--no beaters, no bowls, wobbly turntable, etc. I knew I had crossed the line from casual shopper to obsessive searcher when I caught myself "putting the word out."

So, I was thrilled last week when my dad called to tell me that they had found a mix master at the local thrift shop. It had a cord, beaters, bowls, everything! Dad and his wife kindly dropped it off and had a visit. The mixer was great, better in some ways than the one we had growing up. It even has a splash cover! I used it to make a batch of corn muffins, and it worked perfectly. Case closed--or it should have been.


I am madly trying to get ready to go back to Haiti on Monday. There are about a million things I have to take care of before I go, but in spite of all that, I've become aware that I still have some unresolved mixer issues. The logical side of me doesn't understand. I was given a perfectly good one already. And, as my daughter has pointed out, I really don't need a stand mixer at all; she does everything with a hand mixer, and so could I. I am going back to a country where a mixer would be the last thing on anyone's priority list--far below tarps, clothes, food, jobs--but yet it lingers in my mind even as I pack and plan.

Yesterday, I was at the bank getting US cash, and thought I would pop into the second hand store next door. I am always looking for suitcases, a 3/4 size (48") box spring (if anyone has one!), and aquarium stuff. On the way out, I passed the appliance section and, to my disbelief, there was a stand mixer. Not just any stand mixer--our stand mixer! A Mixmaster stand mixer complete with the two original bowls, beaters that are not bent, no wobble in the stand, dough hooks, and even the manual! And all for just $20!


Transfixed, I was drawn to the mixer and picked it up. Instantly I understood! This was not just a mixer; it was a memory trigger. That mixer was my mom's mixer with the same beaters I got to lick off, and the same bowl I got to clean out. Those were the beaters I had to straighten in our little shop when I ran the spatula through them.


I know now that, as I head back to Haiti and to families torn apart, I needed that Mixmaster to connecting with my lost family. My mother died of cancer when I was in my 20s. Many of my fond childhood memories include cooking with her. I am really glad I found her mixer but even happier that I figured out why it was so important to find it. Cheap as I am, I would have paid $300 for that old mixer. It is currently sitting on my piano with the family photos, I will find a home for it in a cupboard at some point, but am in no hurry.


P.S. I have about 10,000 songs that play randomly while I work at my computer. In the middle of writing this blog, the Tractors version of "Lord of the Dance" came on. This is the song that my mother wanted to be played at her memorial, and I remember her saying, "Don't let them drag it! It is a celebration! It is dance!" Well, it was played at her memorial, and the organist didn't drag it. But today, as I remembered her yet again, the Tractors took it to a whole other level! She would've like it I am sure! Coincidence?

...And They're Off! (by Gordon Gilchrist)

The clouds broke this morning as we drove down to the camp to meet Paco, the contractor. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have spent the night in the sheet tents that can be found in each camp. There is a saying here that Haitians would rather take a bullet than get wet. This is not a group of people you will find singing in the rain! Before we got to the camp, the sky was clouding over--motivation enough for all to work quickly!

As we walked from the truck to the camp the ground was muddier than any other day, and I could see were the ditches had been flowing fast, carrying debris down to the sea. Paco was waiting for us at the camp with the camp council, and we started the final meeting before breaking ground. It is very important that all the players are sing from the same song sheet--not an easy task when the parties involved speak English, French, Spanish and Creole. By the end of the meeting, the air was filled with a beautiful four-part harmony--music to my ears.

Paco took us to see a similar shelter that his crew had built in the yard where they are staying. We took a few from the camp to see as well. These are simple shelters, but so much better than a bed sheet! Paco impressed me with his design for the camp by describing the site drainage first and the housing second. It is all about the drainage, and he gets that! At one point, there was a very spirited exchanged between the women's representative and the men's representative in one or more languages, none of which were English. Ron informed me that the discussion was around why they were still talking, and not working! And...they're off! Tents have to come down to put a shelter up; the community will erect one set of houses a day so no one is outside for a night.

Two years ago, I was called to Africa to deal with some light/water issues. I had to leave the autodesk conference early to catch the plane. On my way out, my eye was drawn to a small wind-up flashlight that Autodraft was giving out. I immediately thought, "These would be very useful for many people I see when I travel." Getting to the outhouse in the dark while avoiding the elephants can be tough without light. I approach Claire, the owner of Autodraft, about getting a few to take. When I explained why I wanted them, she went to the back of her car and GAVE me about 150 lights! I brought the last of the lights with me to Haiti and left them with the matriarch of the camp to give to those most in need. It is amazing what the gift of light can do when there is only darkness around you! (Glance at the darkness, but look to the light!)

We leave tomorrow (I think I will be back soon), and although the skies are dark, there is a bit more light in the lives of one small group of Haitians because of those of you who have helped--helped with donations, helped with communication, helped with moral support, and helped with raising awareness back home! I cannot say thank you enough!

I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone (by Gordon Gilchrist)

The rain last night could only be described as torrential, and the sinking feeling I had was not only from the mud under my sandals. We thought we had some time before the rainy season hit, but this seemed to say we were wrong and already too late. We have started to build a great relationship within the camp; not only have we showed up more than once, but we actually did something. Many people come and go, promises are made, but nothing comes of it. Cynicism is inevitable. Despair seeps in. Tensions rise. But in the last three days, A Better World has turned on the tap to 1000 gallons of clean water and will continue to supply water for six weeks, until the community can figure out how to buy their own or how to bring in town water. ABW and Indajoven brought the only health clinic the community has seen, and while the clinic was running, ABW made up 300 food hampers for the camp.

Yesterday afternoon, Pat and I were standing near the water tanks talking about fine tuning the system, and Thor was nearby talking with the community leaders. All of a sudden, Thor broke out in gales of laughter. The committee had been saying, "Just get us tarps. We can't afford to build these shelters you are proposing. We know how; we just can't afford it." When Thor quit laughing he explained to these men that they only had to build the shelter, that we would buy the materials. I cannot describe the range of emotions that rolled across their faces, but the final expression was undeniably relief! I am a father and a grandfather, and I know the worry they feel about the health and safety of their families. Their true level of deep concern did not become apparent until today.

Today the rubber hit the road! We met with Paco, the contractor, today about the shelters. I believe strongly in consulting local expertise and combining the best of both worlds. Pat and I have designed a solution for the camp buildings, then we redesigned them, then the rain hit and desperation to get more people under cover for the same money had us redesign them again. After all that, walking into this meeting, I truly believed we had the minimalist solution. Meanwhile, however, Paco had been meeting with the camp council and developed a much more detailed plan, including the number of people per family. Here is what they are asking for: 1.5 square meters per person (that is 16 square feet per person). Let me put that into perspective for you: in Alberta, if you want to rent out a single room, it cannot be less than 100 square feet! The request for space is half of what Pat and I considered to be the bare minimum. This means that the entire camp site will be able to shelter more people, IF we can come up with more funds. The upshot is that we have negotiated to get 44 families under cover. Work starts tomorrow! This is a great day for me, but an even better day for one small group of unfortunate Haitians. Thank you for everyone who has supported us so far. You cannot understand what a huge difference you have made. You just can't possibly understand! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Port au Prince: City Under Siege (by Gordon Gilchrist)

We are driving through the city right now trying to get to an artisan community, and, as we drive, Thor has been going over some of the statistics:

• 300,000 dead
• 50 Canadians still missing
• 400,000 moved out of PauP to the provinces
• 1,200,000 homeless left in the city

The problem with that third statistic, the large number of people leaving the city, is that the rural infrastructure is not in place to support that many people. When the international community invested in Haiti, they put most of the development into Port au Prince. The discussion in the car went something like this: when all the aid for Haiti was concentrated in Port au Prince, all the eggs were put into that one basket, and now the basket has been dropped, set on fire, driven over to extinguish the flames, had its ashes scooped up and dumped into a well that was then flooded with rain water and washed out to sea! That, as we see it, is the state of Port au Prince today! Now, we might be a bit punchy from a lack of sleep, but the assessment is not far off.

Back in the car now after visiting the metal artisans--pretty cool stuff! I will have some up for auction along with some paper mache art when I return. It was like music to hear the artisans pounding on the steel. It was the music of making a living, banging out a future for their families and their country. This work is very labor-intensive and truly skilled craftmanship. There is an undeniable, immediate, life-threatening need in Haiti right now, but there is a bigger, long-term problem, as well. Haiti needs to build an economy. These artisans are doing their part by creating a foreign market, making something that can be exported in exchange for foreign currency to build the economy.

We stopped at the Thor camp to see the water system. The people are thrilled to have clean water available! One person has been given the responsibility of metering the water out, and, as we speak, a shed is being constructed around the tanks to keep them safe. Pat and I surveyed the site for the best location to put up the first of 5 shelter buildings. I have some funding in place, but I need money! We have the contractor, the materials, the local labor, the blessing of the landlord; we are just short of cash. Here is the deal: we can put a family into interim housing for $4/square foot. I am a cheap Schotchman, so I can promise you, this is a cheap as it gets! They really need your help here! Please get involved!

I just want to add that I know many of you are worried about us, and I don't think that there is anything I can say to stop you from doing that, but the most dangerous part of this trip, like all trips, is the driving. We are quite safe, and I can certainly say that I am in my element. I am making a difference, using my talents to help others. I cannot stay at home, perhaps safer, knowing that these people are living like this when I can make a difference. I have the time off work, I have the talent to help make things happen, and I would like to think that someone like me would help our family if we were in the same boat.

Printing, Packing, and Pizza

Today was an odd day...a little of everything. I spent most of the morning drawing up the shelter plans. There was a bit of a time crunch because the printer lady was going home. She was very efficient before she left, however, and produced two copies of the plans Pat and I have settled on. In farm structures class I tell the students that if all they want to do is keep the outside out and the inside in then the cheapest way to do that is a pole frame building. It turns out, that is just what I need to do down here: keep the outside out and the inside in. So, guess what? We will start construction of a pole frame building on Saturday. We just received word that it is raining in Port au Prince tonight. By morning there will be a quarter million Haitians in varying degrees of wetness! Now is not the time to pontificate; now is the time to act!

Eric and Pastor Ron packed up today to head into Port au Prince. You know that a guy has not ever been camping when he asks you how to roll up a sleeping mat! Eric received his fair share of ribbing while he tried to get the air out of the mat and get it stuffed into the carrying case. He prevailed in the end,though. Pat and I stayed behind to finish up some things and to go to the artisan group in Jacmel tomorrow.

The food here has been great albeit a bit unusual. I am thrilled that it is not spicy! Tonight had fried chicken and pizza with potatoes and gravy. Not the usual combination, but it all was very good!

Last night, I had the munchies. I went into the kitchen and a few of the guys were there talking. When the subject of snacks came up, it was mentioned that there was a bag of animal crackers on the counter. I went to retrieve the bag and discovered more animal crackers than I have ever seen in my life. In fact, the bag weighed 30 pounds! They tasted great! I ate too many.

On the way to the beach there was a very nice little restaurant (was being the operative word.) Just about all that is left of it is the door and, sad as it is, the sign on the door is very funny. Have a look and tell me what you think the sign was supposed to say?

On the road tomorrow. I am anxious to get the community starting to build their new homes! I don't know if we will have internet from here on in. We are not staying at the same place as last time. (I guess when you run from a house scantily clad they think twice about asking you back! Go figure!) So, I don't know when you'll hear from me again, but 'til then, appreciate just how dry you are tonight.